Saturday, December 24, 2011

TODAY IN HISTORY

William Anders
Image via Wikipedia
DECEMBER 24
1951:Amahl and the Night Visitors is broadcast on NBC. Penned by Gian Carlo Menotti, it is the first opera written for American television.

1818: Franz Xaver Gruber and Father Josef Mohr first perform their Christmas carol "Silent Night" during midnight Mass at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria.

1968: Apollo 8 astronauts William Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman, the first men to orbit the Moon, send a televised Christmas Eve transmission back to Earth that includes a reading from the Bible's book of Genesis. Borman signs off by saying, "and from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas — and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

1974: A few lucky people are greeted by a group of surprisingly talented carol singers, as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell take to the streets of Los Angeles singing Christmas tunes.
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